Love Me Again
by icemoonbankai
Summary: Glinda Upland and Elphaba Thropp broke up. Elphaba couldn't handle being in a relationship, so she called it quits. Glinda was amicable. That's all there is to it. At least, that's what Glinda thinks, until she gets a series of drunk texts from Elphaba and wonders if she was ever okay with it. Gelphie, modern!AU
1. Chapter 1

**GELPHIE GELPHIE GELPHIE. I'm so excited for this story, mostly because it's my babies in an AU. Like pretty much all of my other stories, heh. Anyway, this is Gelphie, and it's a modern AU. There will be mentions of drinking, drug use, depression, sex, and mature language. Sounds fun, huh? So anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

_"mwhat's up glindai?"_

_"Are you drunk?"_

_"maymbe"_

_"How much have you had?"_

_"like okne ro ten glassews"_

_"Of what, Elphie?"_

_"dunno. lookged likwe water. felt clike burninng"_

_"Elphie!"_

_"dovnt hyell"_

_"Why did you drink so much, Elphie?"_

_"misssss yu"_

_"Don't say that."_

_"wuhy noat?"_

_"Because you're drunk and I know you don't mean that."_

_"ubt i love oyu"_

_"Please don't say that Elphie."_

_"why don'at yiou laove me anhymore"_

_"I do love you Elphie. You're the one who pushed me away."_

_"i'cm soarry"_

_"It's okay."_

_"yi love oyu"_

_"I love you too, but that's not enough."_

_"bi pneed wyou"_

_"..."_

_"i jneed you more thaqn i've evefr neeedd ayonne"_

_"Then why did you leave me?"_

_"sscared"_

_"Maybe we should talk about this in the morning. When you're sober."_

_"ok"_

_"Do you need me to come get you?"_

_"ye"_

_"Which bar?"_

_"jthe philosbophy culb"_

_"Elphie."_

_"wanteud tuo forget you. dcant"_

_"I'm on my way. Don't go anywhere with anyone."_

* * *

There were several things that Glinda did not need today, and getting drunk texted by Elphaba Thropp at_ three in the damn morning_ was about half of them. She pulled up to the curb in front of the rather luminous Philosophy Club to see a green girl sitting with her head between her knees. Glinda waited for her to notice, as she'd left her apartment still in her nightgown and she definitely didn't need to deal with some perv right now if she got out of her car. Elphaba slowly raised her head and stumbled to her feet, taking a good five minutes to do so. After fumbling with the door handle for another five, she all but fell into Glinda's tiny Civic, miraculously shutting the door behind her.

"Hey, Glindy! Long time no see!" she grinned.

Glinda sighed, refusing to respond as she pulled away from the curb. Somehow sensing the tension even in her quite slammed state, Elphaba managed to stay as quiet as she could, keeping her drunk mumbling and giggling to a minimum. She watched the blonde as she drove, half entranced by the shifting colors of the city lights as they passed over pale skin and half entranced by the girl who'd made herself quickly scarce from her former roommate's life nigh on six months ago. Though inebriated, she still fell into the role of silent observer, taking the rare chance of being so close to the blonde to soak in everything about her, noting what had changed and what had stayed the same.

"Alright, get out." The clipped words pulled the green girl from her trance-like state, startling her.

"Huh?"

"I said, get _out_. It is three o'clock, I have a big-ass test in the morning, and I can't even deal with your bullshit when the sun is out, much less when I'm half-asleep and you're drunk. So get out of my car and sleep off your liquid stupid." In the silence after Glinda finished her rant, the sound of the doors unlocking was suddenly very loud.

A cowed Elphaba quickly sobered up and made a swift (though quite ungraceful) exit. Glinda, for all her irritation at the girl, couldn't help but wait for the lanky form to disappear through the door of her dorm before driving off. It wasn't until she had to pull over because she couldn't see the road that she realized that she was crying.

* * *

"And that's why we found you sleeping here under a tree?" Crope gestured to the large oak that provided shelter from the harsh winter sun.

"Yes, that absolute ass decided suddenly that she missed me, and so I barely slept. It's not fair!" Glinda sniffled, leaning on Tibbett's shoulder.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry. This whole, erm, debacle has had everyone in a bit of a chokehold, and you're getting the brunt of it," Tibbs put his arm around her sweater-clad shoulders.

"Who died?" a voice joked harshly. A smirking Avaric came around the trunk followed by Fiyero, who at least had the decency to look concerned.

"Oh, bugger off with your insensitive self, you prick," Crope defended.

"It's the same thing it always is: She-Who-Will-Not-Be-Named." Though she knew Tibbett meant well, Glinda slightly cringed as he hit on one of her insecurities, the fact that her situation was constantly ongoing. She was starting to believe that everyone was growing tired of her.

"What did she do _this_ time?" Fiyero frowned, crossing his arms. Avaric was suspiciously silent.

"It seems there was a bit of a drunk dial situation at three in the morning. A reopening of wounds, if you will," Crope vaguely gestured.

"That green idiot. Can't figure out what she wants, and when she does, she can't accept it. I'm going to talk to her," the dark-skinned man turned as if to do it right then and there, until he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't. She's not going to listen to you scold her for what she's already berating herself for on a good day, much less when she's hungover. If anyone talks to her, it should be Glinda," Avaric warned.

"When did you become such an expert on relationships, Mr. One Night Stand?" Fiyero shrugged off his friend's shoulder. Avaric looked ready to hit him when Glinda intervened.

"Please stop! For once, Avaric is right. This has gone on for too long, and look at what it's doing. Our whole group dynamic has changed. Now's the perfect time to address this, so I'm going. _Alone_," she added as the two boys on the ground stood. She began walking that way before she lost her nerve and her big speech was all for nothing.

"Ozspeed, sweetie."

* * *

It hadn't always been like this. Once upon a time, the two girls were slowly falling in love. Being assigned as roommates at the beginning of their freshman year, they hadn't exactly seen eye to eye. With a Biology/Journalism double major and a reclusive lifestyle, the skinny green girl couldn't have been more different than the undecided, air-headed blonde. However, though neither would admit it, they slowly became civil, and from then, the best of friends. As the year went on, the two inspired each other to be better. Galinda (as she was called then) introduced Elphaba to her world of friends and social gatherings while Elphaba helped Galinda to study and balance her social life with school.

How different things truly were two years, a relationship, and a name change later. Glinda, with an Architecture major slowly becoming reality in her junior year, had been cast aside by the green woman who had jumpstarted her education and was already in grad school here at Shiz. Instead of seeing each other every day, it would be rare to ever see each other at all, what with Elphaba rooming with her invalid sister and Glinda in an off-campus apartment she shared with Crope. It was beautifully tragic how quickly everything had fallen apart, or was it tragically beautiful? Elphie would know, but Glinda had learned not to rely on her over time.

She couldn't, not anymore.

Glinda reminded herself of this as she knocked on Elphaba's door.


	2. Chapter 2

**What is motivation? I wouldn't know because I don't have it, but somehow I found the drive to finally finish this chapter. In it, you'll find that Elphie is an idiot and Glinda is the smarter one, at least in matters of the heart 3 Without further ado, here it is. Enjoy!**

* * *

Glinda steeled herself for what waited behind the door. She had made sure that her outward appearance did not reflect her inner turmoil, as it wouldn't do to show weakness. Suddenly the handle shook, startling Glinda. Her heartbeat speeding, she waited nervously as the telltale 'click' of the lock sounded through the empty hall. She waited with baited breath, steadying herself to finally see...

Nessarose Thropp's eyes widened almost cartoonishly as she took in who was standing at the door, mirroring the look of surprise. Well, Nessa did live here too. Without a word, the pious girl wheeled past Glinda like a bat out of hell, sensing the extreme sensitivity of the conversation that was about to take place. Glinda watched her go, (not so) subconsciously drawing out the inevitable.

"Nessie, who's at the door," a husky voice grumbled from inside what Glinda now realized was an extremely dark room. She stepped inside and shut the door, allowing herself a few moments for her eyes to adjust. She saw a figure lying prone on the farthest bed, washcloth over her eyes and hand to her head.

"Nessie, what are you doing?" Elphaba called again. Glinda sat on the bed very gently, feeling the hungover girl stiffen as she realized it wasn't her sister.

"Elphaba." The girl in question pulled the cloth from her eyes and sat up, blinking furiously, as if trying to decide whether Glinda was real or not. Or perhaps it was because her eyes were adjusting to the dim lighting.

"Glinda," Elphaba breathed, eyes widening in a way reminiscent of her sister as she took in the woman on the end of her bed.

"We need to talk. About us," Glinda clarified.

"Why?" Elphaba grumbled, surprise fading and bad mood taking over.

"Why? Because you drunk texted me last night," the blonde abstained from raising her voice, knowing it would only make this harder.

"What? I did no such thing," Elphaba protested. Glinda bit her lip, mildly upset by the fact that her former best friend hadn't willingly confessed to her feelings. She squared her shoulders and continued on.

"I suspected that you might not remember, but as you can see from my messages, we need to get some things out in the open." Wordlessly, the green girl took the proffered phone, squinting in the sudden bright light. When no response came from Elphaba, Glinda sighed.

"Look, I'm not asking to get back together. I think we both know that that's not a possibility right now. I just want to get things back to kind of normal. Our friends are being affected by this and it's our fault." Elphaba's eyes had snapped up at the mention of getting back together, and now her full attention was on Glinda.

"If they weren't so damn nosy and could keep their noses out of our business, then they wouldn't have to worry about anything," the brunette grumbled, running a hand through her dark, tangled tresses.

"They're not being nosy! They're our friends and they care about us and when the two of us aren't happy and are fighting, everyone feels it. That's your problem, Elphaba. You don't realize just how much people care about you!" Glinda crossed her arms.

"Is this about our friends or you? I thought we agreed that we couldn't work."

"I agreed to nothing. I merely let you do what you wanted. I never wanted us to end," the blonde's voice dropped off into a whisper as she turned her face toward the ground, fighting tears. Dammit, now was not the time to start crying!

"You didn't... you didn't want to break up? Why?" Elphaba's voice was the smallest Glinda had ever heard it.

"Why? Are you seriously asking me that? I was love with you, and despite all of this, I still am! What about that is hard to understand?" In the heat of her conviction, Glinda forgot about the tears she was holding back, and they flowed freely down her cheeks, though more out of anger than sadness.

"This was supposed to be the best thing for you and me! I could focus on my studies, and you could move on with your life without me dragging you down! We can't be together." Despite her wishes to the contrary, Elphaba felt tears begin to prick at her eyes.

"When did I ever say that you were dragging me down? Because of you, I haven't flunked out of college! The only thing you ever did was lift me up, Elphie! Why do you think I was so upset when I said that I wanted to break up too?" Glinda had unknowingly raised her voice.

"You didn't have to say it! It was plain to anyone that I wasn't right for you. You could ask anybody!" Elphaba matched Glinda's volume with a sweep of her hand, indicating 'anybody'.

"What anyone else thinks doesn't matter! They weren't in this relationship, so they have no say! I want to know what you want, Elphie. Do you still want to be with me?" Glinda cursed herself for the quiver in her voice.

"I can't want to!"

"Why?"

"Because I'm afraid!"

Dead silence rang in the aftermath of Elphaba's heavy confession, much in contrast to the preceding verbal sparring match. After several moments, the blonde spoke.

"Of what, Elphie?" Glinda asked quietly.

"I don't know. Commitment? Being loved? I've never had someone who loved me like you do. I was so afraid that you'd wake up and realize you could do so much better, so I took all the possibilities from you and-"

"-And you ran from your feelings, just like you always do." Elphaba had nothing to say to that, being as truthful as it was.

"You did it before we were together, you did it when we were together, and you're still doing it. You're a coward, Elphaba Thropp, and everyone is worse off for it."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Elphaba leaned back, only to be pulled by the collar to come nose to nose with her ex.

"First, I want you to stop being such a dick about this. Second, I want you to start hanging out with all of us again. We may not be getting back together, but we should still try to be friends again. We've let our relationship rule our friendship, and I just want my best friend back," Glinda's demanding tone melted into a soft pleading.

"I don't know why everyone always thought I was the scary one. You're downright frightening. You've got me, though. I'll start being social again and we can work on this." Elphaba gestured between the two of them.

And for the first time in a long time, the two girls shared a smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello my lovelies! For some reason, after I posted the last chapter, inspiration hit me and I'm already working on chapter 5. So yay for that! In this chapter we have Elphie's reintroduction to the group, Fiyero's language troubles, and a semi-cliffhanger. Promising. Okay you guys, I'm not really one to plead for reviews, but let's just say that if you leave one, perhaps with some ideas for what you want to see in the story of just general praise, you might see chapters faster. Wink wonk. As always, enjoy!**

* * *

Glinda didn't look up when Elphaba sat beside her under the tree where the Charmed Circle always ate. After all, she'd told Elphie 12:45, and if there was one thing the girl was, it was punctual. So Glinda expected it. She didn't look up when every pair of eyes snapped up to take in the form some of them hadn't seen in close proximity for months, nor did she look up when eyes slowly widened and jaws dropped. She didn't even look up when those same eyes shifted back and forth between both of them. She didn't look up, because looking up would signify that something was out of order, and Glinda wanted this transition to be as smooth and hassle-free as possible.

"What the fuck?"

Shit.

"Yes, Crope?" Glinda finally made eye contact with her roomie, who couldn't decide between anger and pure shock.

"She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named just sat down beside you like the past six months never happened!" the boy indicated Elphaba with his first finger, not that there was much need.

"Really? I know I've been atrocious, but I didn't think I was Voldemort-level awful. And didn't your mother ever tell you it was rude to point?" Elphaba raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you it was rude to dump your girlfriend with no explanation?" Crope rebutted.

"Crope!" Glinda admonished.

"Well, seeing as how my mother spent my formative years either under a man or under the ground, I don't think she ever got around to teaching me what a healthy relationship looked like." Crope sat back, speechless.

"Elphaba! That is no way to talk about our dearly passed mother! She was a faithful, decent woman," Nessa scolded from her place beside Boq.

"Right, and your pink skin and Quadling features are a testament to that," the green girl smirked.

"Elphaba! I know it's been a while, but don't feel the need to make up for all the missed snarking in one sitting," Glinda intervened before someone killed Elphie.

"Sorry," the brunette muttered to no one in particular, crossing her arms and leaning against the tree.

Glinda sighed. This wasn't going to be easy, was it?

* * *

Later, in the math lecture she shared with Fiyero, the Vinkan motioned for her to sit nearer to the back with him.

"So what is going on with you and Fae?" Fiyero's use of the pet name, which she hadn't heard since the breakup, startled her.

Glinda remembered the first time he'd called Elphaba that.

* * *

_It was a lazy, too-hot summer day and the air units had decided to overheat. Glinda and Elphaba lounged in Glinda's bed while Fiyero sprawled out shirtless on Elphaba's. Technically, men weren't allowed in the female dorms, and most definitely not shirtless, but it was too hot for the RA's to bother checking anything and Fiyero brought ice cream, so the girls were less inclined to care. If he'd been another man, Glinda might have been sneaking looks, but even though the prince was attractive, Fiyero was just too pretty for Glinda's tastes. She couldn't date someone prettier than her._

_"It's too fucking hot. I'm going to melt," Elphaba moaned._

_"It's your fault for wearing black all the time," Glinda responded, her Gillikin twang shining through as her speech got lazier. She couldn't even bring herself to care._

_"Oh come now, Fae, you should be used to it, growing up in Quadling Country," Fiyero's breathy timbre sounded, though neither girl had the willpower to look._

_"It was extremely humid, but never this hot. Even Munchkinland was balmy in summer. What's your excuse, Great Hunter?"_

_"I'm not the one who was complaining, Your Eminence."_

_"Wait, Fae?" Glinda butted in._

_"Ah, it comes from the Vinkan form of Elphaba's name. It's easier for me to pronounce, as Ozian is not my first language," the dark-skinned man explained. Not much talking was done after that, all three drifting off into restless sleep._

* * *

Ever since, Fiyero had referred to Elphaba as Fae, with perhaps a touch more affection than Glinda was ever comfortable with. Hearing it again brought back memories of simpler times, and a dull ache clenched her heart, but only for a moment. No sense looking back now.

"We've discussed where we stand and have decided that for our own good and the good of those around us, we should try to get back to where we were pre-relationship," Glinda whispered as the lecturer started to speak.

"So Fae will be, um, resuming her place in our circle?" Even living in Oz proper for a few years now did not ensure that Fiyero knew Ozian perfectly, and he still stumbled on words and their meanings. However, being tutored by Elphaba meant that he had picked up some of her phrasing and intonation, which after the breakup had been hard to deal with. It was why Fiyero was perhaps closest to Elphaba, and why he'd tried to steer clear of Glinda for a long time.

"Yes. But we're taking things step-by-step, and seeing how it goes. Which by the looks of today, isn't so great," Glinda frowned.

"Do not be... disinclined? Dis...dis...discouraged! Do not be discouraged by Fae's roughness, it is how she deals with things, after all," he shrugged.

"I suppose you're right, I guess I just need t-"

"Hey, you two in the back! Either be quiet or leave, if this lecture is so boring!" the lecturer interrupted, startling Glinda and Fiyero.

Fiyero grinned and gave her a wink as he turned to face the front. Glinda smiled back, happy to have a friend who didn't automatically distrust her ex-girlfriend.

* * *

_"What are you doing?"_

_"walking into my apartment"_

_"Want to go see a movie?"_

_"elphaba I thought we said we weren't going to try dating right now"_

_"Not like a date-date, just a friend-date."_

_"is anyone else going"_

_"No."_

_"are you sure it's not a date-date"_

_"I promise. I just want to hang out with you."_

_"alright I'll go"_

_"Thank you."_

_"you're welcome and stop using punctuation and capitals in your texts so much"_

_"Why?"_

_"you look like you're trying too hard"_

_"The phone automatically makes the first word capitalized, so you're doing more work than I am. As for the punctuation, I am physically unable to write grammatically incorrect sentences, so therefore I would actually be working harder to force myself to not use punctuation."_

_"shut up"_


	4. Chapter 4

**Well kiddos, it's finally time for the date that's not a date! In this chapter, we have close calls, spying friends, and some saucy banter between Elphaba and Avaric, much to Pfannee and Shenshen's dismay ;) If you like the story, please feel free to review/favorite/follow/promote it as you are led to. The more feedback I receive, the more likely I am to gain motivation to write *wink wonk* As always, enjoy!**

* * *

Glinda knew telling Crope had been a bad idea. However, she didn't realize just how bad of an idea it was until she turned and saw a very familiar group of faces sitting a few rows behind them. She quickly turned back to face the blank screen and nudged Elphaba, interrupting her struggle with the bag of Sour Patch Kids.

"We have some shadows," she whispered.

"I know. I saw them arguing with the teenager in the ticket booth about if Boq was actually 20 when I went to buy snacks," Elphaba chuckled. Reminding herself, she resumed trying to wrangle her favorite candy out of the plastic bag. She started to bite it, to Glinda's horror. The blonde snatched it from the destructive girl and opened it with no effort.

"You'll ruin your teeth if you do that." she scolded, handing the bag back to a grateful Elphaba, who dug in with a grin.

"Then I'm glad you're here to do it for me, my sweet." Glinda was thankful that Elphaba was still focused on the candy and couldn't see the large blush that erupted over her cheeks. Damn it! She shouldn't be reacting so easily. She pushed her face into her hand, leaning on the arm rest. It had been so long since she's been referred to by that name, and Glinda couldn't believe how she was handling it.

She looked over at Elphaba, white teeth in sharp contrast to her green skin as she smiled. Warm brown eyes that showed no sign of the defensive and cold girl that Glinda had met that first day in their shared dorm. She chose that moment to look at the blonde, amusement clear as she saw that Glinda was already looking. Still, even Elphaba couldn't hide the sincere happiness she felt when she looked into those blue eyes, and as her face brightened even more, Glinda thought she might die. The warmth she hadn't even noticed growing in her belly exploded into a flurry of butterflies, prompting an even deeper blush. However, she noticed that she wasn't alone, seeing the dark green flush spanning Elphie's cheeks. Eye contact constant, Glinda felt herself leaning in and found that she couldn't stop herself. The green girl reciprocated, slowly moving toward her blonde companion. They were no more than an inch awa-_*DING*_

Glinda shot back, startled as her phone indicated that she had a text. She pulled it out of her purse to see a message from Crope. Of course.

_"are you behaving?"_

She sighed, for once thankful for Crope's nosiness.

"Thank you, Crope," she called over her shoulder, looking back just in time to see several heads shoot up in surprise. She gave a knowing look and enjoyed watching various levels of embarrassment come over the group's faces.

Glinda faced forward once more to see a stiff-backed Elphaba, eyes wide and looking straight ahead.

"Are you okay?"

"Maybe. I'm sorry about that," she apologized, running a hand through her hair.

"It's okay. It was just as much my fault as it was yours, but I think that maybe we shouldn't be alone together like this for a while. It's not safe," Glinda gave her a reassuring smile, just in time for the lights to dim.

They'd already almost kissed, and the movie hadn't even started yet. Fantastic. Could they ever be "just friends" again?

* * *

As it turned out, they could, for the most part. After a bit of awkwardness, the girls began to fall back into their old patterns of friendship. They were hanging out, texting, and studying together. The Charmed Circle was whole once more.

Currently, they were laying out beside Suicide Canal, enjoying an unexpectedly warm day. So warm in fact, that the boys had decided to take a swim in the river below. Far, far below. The girls watched this development with varying emotions: Elphaba with amusement, Glinda with horror, Nessa with disdain and prayer, and Pfannee and Shenshen with swooning approval.

"Come on, Boqqie, you first!" Tibbett gave him a hearty pat on the back, not-so-subtly trying to get him over the 20 foot drop.

"I think not!" Boq, for all his small stature, was quite stout, and would not be moved if he did not wish it.

"Someone must go first, because how then will the rest of us know it is safe?" Crope pleaded with the Munchkinlander, leaning against him quite dramatically.

"Well it shan't be me. As the heir to the Tenmeadows fortune, I cannot afford to risk my life going first," Avaric called from where he leaned against a tree in only his boxers. The sight was quite appreciated by Pfannee and Shenshen, who were doing a poor job of hiding their staring.

"And as a pussy, you wouldn't dare," Elphaba taunted from her seat beside Glinda. The blonde smacked her, but it was more playful than offended.

"Oh yeah, I don't see you jumping!" Avaric shot back.

"Well I wouldn't want to get my clothes wet, would I?" She tugged at the black fabric of her shirt.

"Then strip down to your skivvies! I'm sure some of us wouldn't mind." The lecherous grin he sported demonstrated who exactly "some of us" was.

"Not in your wildest dreams, Tenmeadows," she rolled her eyes.

"Oh I assure you, stripping isn't the worst of what you do in my dreams."

"Avaric, for Oz's sake! That's completely inappropriate!" a red-faced Boq interrupted from where he was pulling against the two boys trying to toss him into the canal.

"Pity to say, Avaric, but the only dreams of mine you star in are nightmares." The exaggerated look of pity on her face was enough to send Glinda into a fit of giggles.

"Glinda! This is not an appropriate conversation to be laughing at!" Pfannee scolded, with Shenshen nodding her approval.

"Oh shut up, you're just upset that he's not talking to you like that," the blonde shot back, still laughing, much to the surprise of everyone.

This caused Elphaba to bend over, gasping for air because she was laughing so hard, which in turn provoked Fiyero to laugh heartily. Crope and Tibbett's laughter caused them to let go of Boq, whose own force propelled him face first into the grass. This was a source of merriment for everyone, and after a bit of feeling sorry for himself, Boq joined in too, sprawled out on the ground. They laughed like this for a while, finally settling down, in a better mood than any of them had been in for a long time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Do you ever have that moment where you're like, "this situation needs more drama"? No? Just me when I'm writing this story? Okay, backtrack. I understand that this chapter may bring about some circumstances that you, the readers (aka Gelphie shippers), may find not okay (aka any character other than Glinda showing romantic attentions toward Elphaba). Just trust me on this: this is still a Gelphie story, and everything that I include in this chapter has a purpose, I promise. That's the reason for what's about to happen; that and I like seeing a flustered, unwitting Elphaba in the midst of scores of admirers. Okay, enjoy!**

* * *

Winter was slowly melting its way into spring before anything significant had happened in Glinda and Elphaba's relationship, and that something all originated with a drunken night out on the town.

There was only one bar in town that never asked for ID, and as a result, was the most popular bar in town. The Peach and Kidneys wasn't grand, but it was always lively, and Avaric's thick wad of cash proved to be useful in securing the Charmed Circle their table every night.

Everyone else was either dancing or getting drinks, and Elphaba had just left to take Nessa to the ladies' room when Boq came back to the table where Glinda sat alone. She noticed his worried expression as he sat next to her, fidgeting with his collar.

"What's wrong, Boq?" Glinda asked, turning to face him.

"I really don't know if I should tell you this, but I feel like you have a right to know, and I know you and Elphaba aren't together anymore, but I feel like this would affect you greatly," he rambled quickly, never looking up.

"Spit it out, Boq." She was on edge now, listening intently.

"Well, Fiyero and Avaric were having a bit of a drinking contest, and they were just putting them down like crazy. After a while, they both realized that they were gonna pass out and that they were too evenly matched, so they decided to settle it with a, um, a bet, of sorts. So they agree that it needs to be a real challenge, something very hard that will test their skills. So then Avaric says, 'How about this? The first one to get Elphaba to kiss them without asking is the winner.' And you know that Fiyero would never agree to that in his right mind, but he's completely plastered, so he agreed and they made the rules and such and now it's happening!" Boq wheezed as his speech finally came to an end. He looked up at a very blank-faced Glinda, who sat completely still. She blinked, and then a smile was plastered on her face.

"Thanks for telling me, Boq. You really did do the right thing. If you'll excuse me, I have some idiots to talk to." She moved to get up but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, please don't say anything to them because if you do they'll know it was me and I don't know what they'll do, as drunk as they are," Boq pleaded. Glinda thought for a moment, then sat down and sighed.

"Fine, but don't expect me to keep quiet about it to Elphaba."

"Keep quiet about what to Elphaba?" Glinda looked up to see said green girl standing behind her, having just returned with Nessa.

"Oh, nothing, just a silly bet between the drunk duo of Avaric and Fiyero to see who can get you to kiss them first." Elphaba raised an eyebrow at that.

"And why am I the subject of this bet?" She wheeled Nessa around to sit by Boq and then sat on the other side of Glinda.

"Apparently you're the most challenging," the blonde grinned.

"They're damn right I am. I can't wait to see how this one plays out," Elphaba laughed, resting her head on one hand.

"Probably hilariously awful." The four of them laughed.

* * *

However, much to the girls' surprise, neither boy made any attempt to woo the green girl that night, nor the next day, nor the entire rest of the week. Content with the thought that they must have forgotten, Elphaba went about her classes and promptly forgot about it herself. Oh, how wrong she was.

It all started the next Monday, in the early morning Political Science class that Avaric used as extra sleeping time. Well, at least he showed up. Elphaba first noticed something was off when Avaric chose to forgo his spot in the back to sit next to her in the front before class had even started. He said nothing to her the entire time, but every time she happened to glance his way, he was already looking at her.

"Hey, Elphaba, got a second?" he asked after class ended, trailing behind her as she packed her things and left.

"What do you want?" she asked suspiciously. Avaric never made the effort to talk to her, except amongst their shared friends. She didn't even really consider him a friend, so much as an acquaintance.

"You know how I'm most definitely failing, well, most of my classes?" Avaric asked.

"No! Really? I never would have guessed!" Elphaba pressed a hand to her chest in mock surprise.

"Yeah, yeah, we all know I sleep in class, ha ha. Anyway, I was wondering if maybe you could perhaps tutor me?" He gave a weak smile as Elphaba stopped and turned to look at him.

"Why the sudden need for a tutor? You've never cared about grades before," she raised an eyebrow.

"Can't I just have gained a sudden passion for learning and a wish to correct my mistakes?" he protested. The girl just crossed her arms and looked at him.

"Fine. My father told me that if I don't start making better grades he'll cut me off completely," Avaric pouted, mirroring Elphaba's crossed arms. Elphaba had to stop herself from laughing at the image of him stomping his foot like a petulant child.

"And why are you asking me instead of one of your many lovesick puppies?" It was a valid question. Last year, he'd gotten several of the girls who constantly followed him around to do his final papers and even tests for him.

"Because you're my friend, and even though you can be a bit harsh, you're the smartest person I know and you won't just do it for me," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck and looking anywhere but at her. Elphaba was speechless at the sincerity in his voice. He rummaged around in his bag and pulled out a slip of paper and a pencil, which he used to scrawl something.

"Here's my number. Just think about it and text me or call me or something. Please," he added before walking off, leaving an extremely confused Elphaba in his wake.

What the fuck?

* * *

Usually Elphaba didn't mind Fiyero studying in her room. Then again, Fiyero usually didn't stare at her.

"Have I become a lovely shade of violet? Or perhaps you've developed a condition that doesn't allow you to blink?" she quipped sarcastically, but not harshly.

"Sorry," he apologized quietly, looking down at his book.

"The demure act works for many people, but you are not one of them. Spit it out," Elphaba demanded.

"I've been thinking," he started.

"Dangerous territory," she remarked, earning her an annoyed look. She pressed her lips together in a smirk and gestured for him to continue.

"I should tell you something, but I'm afraid you will be upset with me."

"If I promise not to curse you into a brainless lump of straw, will you tell me?" For some odd reason, Fiyero felt a shiver down his spine, but he thought nothing of it.

"Well, Avaric and I made this bet. A bet to see... who could get you to kiss then first," Fiyero haltingly admitted. Elphaba suddenly remembered it, but chose to say nothing on the matter.

"Idiotic. Treating me like a prize to be won."

"I realize that, but I've also realized something else." Here it goes, Fiyero. Do not be disheartened now.

"Yes?" Elphaba, for the life of her, could not even begin to predict what he would say next.

"Perhaps, er, I wish to... do so on my own. Kiss you, that is. Outside of the agreement. It is a surprise to me, as I have only thought of you as a sister, at least I thought so." Fiyero was blushing something fierce, even down his neck and into his collar.

That was outside the realm of anything Elphaba might have thought of completely. She sat, completely dumbfounded for once, unable to say anything. A true feat to accomplish, no doubt.

"Looking back upon it, this is perhaps why I agreed. I understood that Avaric had developed some sort of feelings for you, and that is why he offered the conditions, but I would have never suspected that I did, as well," Fiyero reasoned, more to himself than anything. In his nervousness, he began falling onto more proper speech patterns, as he was first taught.

"Wait, _Avaric_?" That was even more of a surprise. She thought back on his odd behavior this morning, and everything clicked.

"You did not know? I thought it was obvious. The boy courts you constantly. No wonder it took you and Glinda so long to become partners. You do not, uh, comprehend advances very well." Now Fiyero was the shocked one, eyes wide.

"Not to be rude, but I need some time to myself. Could you...?" Elphaba asked apologetically, still in shock.

"Of course, Fae. I will make an exit now." He was out the door more quickly than he'd ever been before, noting Elphaba's stock still, silent demeanor.

As he walked he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts, calling the one person he knew he had to.

"Glinda, I believe that I have damaged Elphaba."

"What? What did you do?"

"I told her that I wished to kiss her."

There was the sound of what Fiyero presumed to be Glinda's phone falling from her hand, and then the call ended.


End file.
